INSIDE
Volume 4, Issue 1 May 29, 2026
: Vikings' Class of 2026 become alumni
REFLECTIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY
Total Raised: $113,669 Lead this Legacy
VI
UN
SER
NG
ITY
SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE
OUR COMM
@echopublishinginc
YOUR YOUR LOCALLY LOCALLY OWNED OWNED ANDAND OPERATED OPERATED NONPROFIT NONPROFIT NEWS NEWS SOURCE SOURCE YOUR LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NONPROFIT NEWS SOURCE
Memorial Day: Oceana honors our fallen heroes The gravesite of local veteran Benjamin E. Russell, seen above left during his service to our country, was found to be vandalized over the Memorial Day weekend, with the bronze plaque commemorating his military career having been taken. His family is offering a reward for information leading to the prosecution of anyone involved. • Contributed photos
Information sought regarding reported cemetery vandalism across Oceana By Claire Marshall
PERMIT NO 62
PRSRT STANDARD PRSRT STANDARD NON PROFIT NON PROFIT U.S. POSTAGEU.S. POSTAGE PAID PAID
BIG RAPIDS, MI 49307 BIG PERMIT NO 62RAPIDS, MI 49307
of opportunistic scrap metal thieves targeting The Oceana Echo Community Correspondent the solid bronze, which can be cut up or melted Over the Memorial down and sold locally for Day weekend, a number $3 per pound. Cemetery of Oceana County resi- vandalism is not uncomdents discovered the theft mon during the sumof several bronze me- mer months, particularly morial plaques from the around Memorial Day. gravestones of area vet- As Schiller explained, the erans. Elbridge Township holiday "historically is Cemetery reported eight when families take time separate headstones out of their schedules to damaged from plaque take care of and visit their theft, with social media loved ones.” One such family posts and local reports turning up multiple oth- member is Dave Hansen, er rural area cemeteries who posted about the where similar incidents theft of his father-in-law’s have occurred. Besides plaque on the Hansen plaques, some veterans’ Foods Facebook page. graves are also missing The theft was discovered flag holders, which are on Saturday, May 23, solid bronze or resemble when Hansen’s wife, Leslie, and another family bronze. According to Under- member visited Elbridge sheriff Ryan Schiller, the Township Cemetery to Oceana County Sheriff’s tend to the grave of her faOffice believes that the ther, Benjamin E. Russell. vandalism is the result While Russell’s grave had not been visited in several months, visitors to the cemetery earlier in the week reported nothing amiss, leading Hansen to believe the theft occurred the Thursday or Friday prior to Memorial Day.
Hansen asked in the post, "Who could be that broken as to desecrate a grave like that?” He is offering a $1,000 reward for anyone who could provide information leading to the prosecution of the perpetrator. The post has thousands of views and over 160 comments. Hansen describes Russell as an incredible man who began his career as a merchant mariner before joining the U.S. Navy as a submariner in WWII. In the Korean War, Russell served as a tank recoverer. At the end of the war, he’d decided to make the military his career, working at the Detroit Armory, where he taught diesel engine repair. It was primarily Korean and WWII veterans whose graves were vandalized in Elbridge, with the targeted graves in a wooded, secluded area of the cemetery, out of sight from the adjacent road. Elbridge resident Nancy Tate also visited the cemetery over the weekend to visit her parents’ graves and said she
PENTWATER
HART
SHELBY
WALKERVILLE More photos from area observances on page 10.
Shelby invites community to ‘Movie Nights at Getty Park’ By Sharon Hallack
RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL POSTALCUSTOMER CUSTOMER POSTAL ECRWSS ECRWSS
was surprised to see a crowd of concerned families checking in on their relatives. While Tate’s veterans’ graves were spared, she expressed that “it just was hard seeing all my neighbors out there. A lot of them are older.” Tate also knew Russell as well, which has made this entire situation worse for her considering her admiration for him. When recalling his father-in-law, Hansen spoke about how sometimes younger generations “don’t realize [veterans] were just like them…I used to be the same, see an old guy, and not think about who he used to be.” Undersheriff Schiller assured that sheriff’s deputies will be patrolling cemeteries and looking out for suspicious persons or vehicles and urged that “if anyone visits a loved one's gravesite and finds that this has occurred,” they should contact Central Dispatch and file a report by calling 231-869-5858.
The Oceana Echo Community Correspondent SHELBY - The Village of Shelby invites the community to kick off the village’s monthly “Movie Nights at Getty Park” Thursday, June 11 beginning at 6:30 p.m. The evening will include a community picnic (hot dog, chips, cookie, drink), petting zoo, art activities and a showing of the movie “Hoppers” at dusk on the outdoor movie screen. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. MSU Extension 4-H Program Coordinator Jennifer Payne and local 4-Hers will provide a small animal petting zoo and read-along of the children’s book “Rabbityness" by Joe Empson. Art supplies and in-
spiration will be provided, and children will be able to create art similar to what the rabbit creates in the storybook. Goats, lambs, rabbits, chickens and quite possibly some baby calves will be available for petting and photos. The first 50 families will receive a copy of the book “Rabbityness,” and other free books will also be provided by the West Shore Educational District. Future Movie Nights in Getty Park will show “The Goofy Movie” on Thursday, July 9, and “The Parent Trap” on Thursday, August 13. The Shelby Village Events Committee members include Samantha Gottschalk, Tiffany Haight, Amanda Mazur, Phil Morse, Veronica Parker and Jan Sexson. More volunteers are always welcome. Persons need not commit to helping with every event,
and instead organizers encourage the community to help with whatever event fits their schedule and interests best. Other events in the planning stages for later this year include a couples movie night, a Hispanic Heritage celebration, the annual Trunk or Treat night and Christmas festivities. A “Shelby Marketplace," to be held through the fall and winter months, is currently being organized as well. Anyone wishing to volunteer, donate toward events, be on the committee, or have further questions may email administrator@shelbyvillage.com for more information. The 2026 Movies in Getty Park sponsors include Empire Contractors, Southern Oceana County Chamber of Commerce, and Veronica Parker Homes/Vylla Homes.